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■ • ■ llikUS?R^¥ED- • 



THE MASSACHUSETTS MUTUAL 
Life Insurance Company 



SPRIHGPIELD, ■ MASS. 



INCORPORATED 1851. 



Total Assets, January 1st, 1S87, ?8, 554, 065. 32 

Total Liabilities, " " " 7,897,30.1.96 



Surplus by Massachusetts Standard, $656,764.36 

Surplusby New York Standard (about) 1,193.000.00 

Number of Policies issued in 1886, 2,628, insuring .... 8,064,390.00 

Number of Policies in force Dec. 31, 1886, 16,537, insuring . . 41,246,538.00 



THE MASSACHUSETTS MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, of Spring- 
field, is one of the oldest in the United States. It was incorporated in the 5"ear 
1851 by the State of Massachusetts, which was the first in the Union to inaugurate an 
*' Insurance Department," thus instituting State supervision over its companies. 

It was also the fii'st in the State to legislate concerning the forfeiture of policies of 
life insurance; its famous non-forfeituie law was passed in 1861 and amended in 1880. 
By the recent act of 1887, life insurance legislation has reached a degree of perfection 
heretofore unknown. 

This Law requires that all policies issued by THE MASSACHUSETTS MUTUAL 
LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY shall be nonforfeitable after the payment of two 
annual premiums, without any further stipulation or act. This makes the amount of 
paid-up insurance to which the policy holder may be entitled, under any circumstances, 
absolutely guaranteed. He may forget his policy, but his policy will never forget 
him. Also, that after the payment of two annual premiums, the insured may, on any 
subsequent anniversary of the date of issue of said policy, surrender the same, and 
claim and recover from the company its " Surrender Value in Cash." Said Cash 
Value is fixed by the law itself and cannot be changed. 



M. V. B. EDGERLY, President. JOHN A. HALL, Secretary. 

HENRY S. LEE, Vice-President. OSCAR B. IRELAND, Actuary. 

JAMES L. JOHNSON, General Agent, Springfield, Mass. 




I5KIJ)lN(i HUOS. .^ CO., 



MANUrAOTlMlKllH OW ■ 



Unequaled Spool Silks. Sewings. 

FINE SILK HOSIERY 



AikI Silk P';il)ri 



•K -s 



ROCKVILLE. CONN 

SAN FM \ N<-|^< o, CAL. 



NORTHAMPTON. MASS. 
MONTF^T'AL, « AN ADA. 



OIL STOVES 









which linve boon in (ho inai'kct f^u' 1 I y«Mirs, 
nro imequnleii loi* nonsting, lUuhng, Ffyino. 
Stenmiiig, Laiindi'y work of m11 kiiuls. . 

As Helen CMnipbell snys of \\\o VlA^llK^l'K 
Stoves, "lMi(>y rol> (ho kiti-heii of linlf i(s 
ter'j'ors." 

Circiilni's nmi (^no(n(ions of prices cheer- 
fully ffU I'll isl u'll uiioii n i>pl ient ion (i> 

FLORENCE MACHINE CO., FLORENCE, MISS. 





Sciul fuf lllutilratcd CJirculnr 




CRYSTAL EMERY WHEEL CO, 

NORTHAMPTON. MASS. 



MOUNT HOLYOKE. 

^^ The Finest Cultivated View in l\lew Engtand. ^^^ 



'^THE PROSPECT HOUSE 

is situated on the most commandiiig spot on tlie 
range, and is fitted up expressly for the Yie"yy, 
izyith good telescopes and every appliance to get it 
in the best form." The Beautiful viev\r, Pure Air, 
and Clear Spring Water, make it a desirable place 
to spend an hour, a day, or a ^yyeek. 

MEALS SERVED AT ALL HOURS. 

BOARD BY THE DAY OR WEEK. 

Parties stopping over can he carried to and from 
the trains by the mountain wagons at low rates. 
Telegraph and telephone connections via Holyoke. 

Aildress, 

J. W. FRENCH, Mount Holyoke, 

South Hadley, Mass. 
P. O. Address, 

J. W. FRENCH. Box 1046, Northampton, Mass. 



•:^mminmWfim?:;!?^^'^'' -"X'^ "V^-^^.^ 




JvlOd.NT HOLYOKE 



\ Nh \'iri\rr^ 



HISTORICAU AND DESCRIPTIVE 



IT.LUSTRATEr 



,«,^0,J. X, 




\KUTII.\MIToN. V.VHM. : 

MHLISHKI) HY (JAZKTrK IKINTINU l«»MI'ANY 
1887. 






Copyright, 1887, 

by 

Gazette Printing Company. 



/Tlour)t: [^olyoKe ar^d l/ieiQity. 



T 



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1 !•; I)iis\ world (.f to (l:»y kMi>\v> Ix-tttT 
iIkiii ••v.t hcfoif. ili.if tin* fn'sh«*iiiii^' ••f- 
fict of an occasional day's oiitiii); is a 
LTicaf lnl|» in its work Vi-sl and tli*' 
man who i> «oni]»<'ll.-d l»y tin'unistancfs 
to stick to his desk for iwdv.* months, 
without his annual vacation, considers 
himself a martyr. All th.- year round 
the va<-atioti travelers are movini: hither and thither, north 
ami s.tiith, and i-ast and west, getting' uji on the hi^dilands or 
descriidin^ to the valleys, sometimes de]M'ndin^ on st«'ain, 
soiiu'tiiiu'8 on tin* lioi-se, and very ofl*>n on human musiles to 
arcotn|»lisli their various objects. In Winter our N<»rthern 
people m) to the Ice Carnival in Montreal, or to California and 
Fhuitla in search of a milder climate. In Spring' they ^o to 
Eunipe, or make some hui^' tour throuizh their sister Statt's. 
Summer drives the Southern )ieoplefi(»m their tropi«-al homes 
to our cooler climates, and crowds all the breezy country hill- 
tops with the inllux fr<»m the cities and lills with thron^Mn^ 
life tlu* seaside res«>rts, which in the colder months an- all l>ut 
di*st»rt»*d. Many seek the woods, some to follow Fashion, 
some in search of a ipiiet camj)in.i; nook, while others, after 
eidivenin^ ami adventurous sport, go loaded with an abun- 
dance of guns and rods. Pleasure ya<dits weigh their anchors, 
set their sails, and start on long voyages, and the boys in im- 
itation make short. T trips with their sailboats, while trim 



canoes, plied with tlasliin<^ paddles, are gliding down every 
navigable stream. The cool, invigorating days of Autumn 
find people at work. Nevertlieless, they do not neglect fre- 
quent long drives, or brisk canters, within the circuit of twenty 
miles of home. The mountains of the laud have always 
attracted a large share of these searchers after rest, and health, 
and recreation, and beauty ; and "the gem of Massachusetts 
mountains,'" Mt. Holyoke, is one of the most favored of them. 
Few mountains are longer remembeied or more loved than 
this, by those who have made its ac(;[uaintance. 

Those who are careful observers of human nature, know 
that one of the deepest forces in mankind is the tendency to 
climb. The desire to see what is around and beyond us is as 
old as man, and Just so old, therefore, must be the climbing 
of hills for the view. One can hardly imagine a person living 
within accessible distance of an elevation, who does not desire 
and plan to climb it. Undoubtedly the wandering tribes of 
our forefathers always, when opportunity offered, examined 
new lands, and were aided in a suitable selection by a survey 
from a hilltop. Perhaps Mt. Holyoke served some such pur- 
pose to the first settlers of Northampton and Hadle3^ Certain 
it is that people visited it soon after the first settlement of 
these places, and ever since then the resort has been a favorite 
one, not only of the neighboring towns, but of people of re- 
linemen t the world over. 

Mentally, the tendency to climb is even more marked than 
it is physically. The younger half of the world is building 
continually its air-castles, as is also the older half, only expe- 
rience teaches them to build more modestly. Eacli person 
intends to be rich, or great, or in some way powt^rful. No 
matter what the discouragements they meet, no matter how 
gloom}^ or despondent they become, all hope and plan to be a 



6 

little better oft' before the end conies. The good man hopes 
to be better, the miser to be richer, the wise man to have more 
wisdom. All want to mount these mental hilltops. 

The most important use of our natural rock and earth moun- 
tain heig-hts is an intellectual rather than practical one. For 
food and clothing we must depend on the lowlands, the 
mountains are not life sustaining ; yet their effect on mind 
and body is of great value — the cool bracing air, the quiet 
after being in the rush and hurly-burly of business, or for 
months in tlie monotonous drag of housework, the release and 
entire freedom from the conhning walls of an office, or house 
in town, cools the heated brain and invigorates the body, and 
all must al)sorb some of the beauty spread around and below 
them, and be tlie better for it. 

The outline of the Mt. Hol3'oke range, due to its volcanic 
origin, is peculiarly ragged and picturesque. Ages ago some 
convulsion projected this mass through a huge rent in the 
earth's surface, and when cool it was of such a ffinty hard- 
ness that it will be impossible to change it into such 
rounded hills as are found to the westward. The mountain, 
clothed to its top with trees, except where in places we get 
glimpses of perpendicular shoulders of gray rock, lifts itself 
abruptly from the midst of a fertile and highly cultivated 
valley to the height of about l,()()Ofeet. No foot hills cluster 
about its base to hide the view, nor is the slope so long and 
gradual as to diminish the interest of the landscape by ren- 
dering it too distant. The frozen peaks of the Alps have 
more grandeur ; the stony desolateness of other mountains of 
f:ime is more impressive by reason of the gigantic rudeness 
of their structure ; however grand and far reaching the view, 
the near surroundings are almost always in a way depressing. 
Sometimes it is the deathlike stillness of the snow fields, again 



tin- wild l):ii It'll of rocks :i in 1 l»oiil«l«is. and a^aiii tip- d'<j> loin'- 
liiii'ss of flu' fon'>t, that crowns tin* In-iulits. All coniicctioii 
with iitiMiaii life is simdcifd, t»r (»iily diiiilv made ait|iaii'Mt Ity 
sonic rude hut, or rou;;h jiathway. lluniaii l>«*iii^s an* intcr 
eslcd in others of their kind. So close are the ties that it j»rol>- 
al»Iv woi.ld not take loni: tit drive the ordinary individual <\:\/v 




MT. NoNoTICK AT SIN-^KT KHoM IMK KAST HANK OK TIIK (OXSKfTierT. 

if coin|)elle«] to live awav fioin all fellow creatures, entirely cut 
olT from the sound <»f a human voice. ()ii Ijolyoke w«' are l»y 
no means s«'vere(l from the lifi> of ihcwoihl ; the hnman inter- 
est of the valley, as si'i'H from the summit, ^^ives this view as 
eom]>ared with others, a jteculiar charm. Lookintr from the 
hitihest ])oint on the backbone ri«lp' of the mountain, wlun* 
grow scatten-d. storm beaten pines and hemlocks, so near an* 
the o]ien fields that we can »;ei' the cattle fecdinj; in the ]»a»- 



tnres beyond the woods, the lines of fence, the farm houses 
half hidden by the trees, dusty ribbons of road, and the teams 
on them moving apparently at a snail's pace. The river wind- 
ing down from the dim north, almost enclosing the old town 
of Hadley in one of its long loops, seems quite broad as it 
sleepily flows past the western base of the mountain ; but 
turning sharpl}^ around the lower end of the ridge, it narrows 
and winds on till, dwindh^d to a silvery thread, it fades into 
the southern liaze. Directly opposite, beyond the stream, are 
the Nortlianipton meadows, a wide spreading level, where 
grass flelds and ripening crops of corn and grain, in squares 
and oblongs, form a variegated patchwork of wonderful 
beauty. Here and there an elm lifts its spreading branches, 
and several big, isolated barns are to be seen among the flelds. 
The city itself is almost concealed by its thick foliaged trees, 
and the most prominent objects are two or three big mills, the 
church spires, the Smith College tower, and the red roof of 
the court house cupola. On farther, the hills undulate away 
till they fade into the dim ridges of the Green mountains; and 
over these the faint double peak of Greylock can just be dis- 
cerned. To the north are the two Sugar-loafs and Toby's 
irregular ridge, and this side of it Mt. Warner's woods and 
pastures. The eastern slope of the mountain descends less 
steeply than the precipitous western side. It gradually falls 
away to the level of the plain below, and then the land, di- 
versifled now by cleared flelds, now by woods, and by hills and 
hollows, go(>s on and on till eveiy thing is indistinguishable in 
the distance. The pyiamid shaped mass of Monadnock looms 
up, a gray shadow, just acioss the New Hampshire line ; and 
the mound-like form of Wachusett, to the east, is but little 
plainer. 

Each of the several towns on the eastern plain are easily 




locati'd by tin- wliilf rhunh sti'<*|»l»' and littlr rlimtiT of Ikmim'S 
wliii'li is clianul'Tistic <»f flimi. SoiiflH'iIy, on a l)roa<l liill 
half foviMt'd with woods aii<l orchards, is South Hadh'V, witli 
th«- rimssivt" Snniiiary hiiildititrs, just distiii^uishal»If amid th«* 
tiri's; wliih' still hfyond air Ilolyok*'*!* tall hrick rhiimu-vs 
ovt'ihim^' with smokf. 

Tlu' Mt. n..lyok. 
iaii^»' drojis away to 
fh»' south to th«' riv 
IT, and tluMi from 
till' opposite shoif 
risi's stt'fply and :ii 
oiic«'. and >wi-i-j)v 
alofii; a wavy lin«' of 
iidi;i*s and valh'y>. 
till lost in fin- li:i/\ 
sonthcrn distanct 
'I'Ih' rail;;!' start- 
uiili W'i'st H«M- k 
n«'ar New H a v »• n, 
and ])nMr«'ds in ;i 
nortiuTly din-i'tion. 
I'lokt-n only l»\ or 
middli' Mass.. and ^ 
n.«fi<-nt lis. T. For the most part tin- rh-valion is small till 
Mt Tom is n-arhed. Tin* ri(li:»* oros.sfs the strt'inn in a north- 
«'asf (lirrrtion, ami rnrving still mun* to tin* east, finds an ••nd 
in n«'l<h»'rtown trn mih-s <listant. Tin* gre«'nston<', (»r tn»p 
rock, of which tin* mountain is composed, has a colnmnar for- 
mation which is plainly t«) !>«• .s«Tn in places al<»n^ tin* sid«»8. 

Thr two mountains. Tom and Holyokc, ]irohal)ly received 



casional vall»*y8, till it r«achi».s 
touches the banks of th" (.'on- 



10 

their names five or six years after Spiingfield was settled, 
when a company ol" the planters came northward to explore the 
country. Eliznr Holyoke led one division on the east side of 
the river, and Rowland Thomas that on the other bank. The 
parties came opposite each other at the narrow place in the 
river where the stream passes between the mountains, and the 
heads of tlie company held a conversation across the stream 
which resulted in each giving his name to the mountain range 
nearest him. Dr. Holland, in his "Bay-Path," describes the 
naming quite romantically, though as set forth in his story it 
was very different from the actual facts. 

In 1821, the people of Northampton and vicinity determined 
to put a house on the summit, and the anniversary of the bat- 
tle of Bunker Hill was chosen for the work. This happened 
to fall on Sunday, and they accordingly did the job on June 
]8th, the day following. Boards, nails, and tools they 
bi'ought with them, but the corner posts and larger timbers 
were hewed from trees cut that day on the mountain. Re- 
freshments were served, speeches were made, and at evening 
the building rude and small, but serviceable as a shelter from 
sun and showers, was finished. The leaders of the party 
spent the night in the building, and in the morning went down 
to the village below and agreed to lease the place to one of 
the natives, Willis Pease by name, if he would settle their 
unpaid bills for nails, etc., amounting to $27. Later, the 
party called at the Hockarium tavern, and were treated all 
round to some kind of fiuid which had the peculiar effect of 
making them forget their former bargain, and when they left, 
the mountain business was in Landlord Lyman's hands. Of 
course this piece of management stirred the ire of the first 
man. Now the land at this point was public propert}^ wild 
and unclaimed, tliough certain parties had a right to take it 



11 



lip .It :iii\ liriif. I*<'as«' siirci'«'(l<Ml in hiivini: fli«' lainl, :irul 
l)iiilt a rival shanty north of lh«' first ofii\ and for snnu* y«-ars 
l»nth hoiisvs \v««r»* opt'ii to visitors. To show what was s«'rv«'d 
to th«* |M'opl«« of that L'«'in*ration. uii tlif uionnfain. \v«« »|Uol«* 
from an ohl a<lv»'rtisr!M«iif which apjM and in th«' Ilnmpshire 
(hizt'lte of lS'i:{ : 






''.I 



lifi^V 



^^''W^^d 









rji 



f% 






U.1 



"'h 



i>|.|) IIKItKK K'S MIT 

\Villit< P1MI80 rciipect fully infurms his frieiulA antl tlio )»iililic that 
He will ho fiirni^slu'tl with Ciiokk .Iamaka Sim hits. St. 

CUOIX Kl M, C'lKJSIAf HllAXDY. IIOLLAXD <JlN, CUKUUY UlM, 

HuANhY, Spanish Sroaus. with other rofreshniont* generally dc- 

siii'ti." 



l-'or fhi'>««' llnids niiK- p«-iM'i' a ghis-- 'u-' .I.hiI.I.^ flu- prii 



III 



12 



the valley), was charged. Water too was a saleable article and 
shortly before the war it was sold for a star three cent piece a 
glass. Till the first house was bnilt, most of the mountain 
visitors came on horseback by a wood road, which started 
near the grist mill in Hadley and ended in " Taylor s Notch," 
a short distance from the summit. Then Willis Pease opened 
a path from tlie upper end of Hockanum, and soon the rival 
house made one from the ferry road across the fields and pas- 
tures, and through the woods, and then straight up the steep- 
est last ridge, partly here 
in the form of steps, A 
gate closed the entrance | 
to this road, where it de ^ 




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%///j/M/Mjf/yjjnm \m[mmm!m^?^s^^^-^^^^^^s^^^^s;^^^ 



parted from the highway | 
near the ferry, and here | 
the boys of the village '', 
picked up a great deal \ 
of loose change by open- \ 
ing and closing it foi- 
teams and riders. Both 
men sold out in the 
course of time, and pres- 
ently the property passed 
into the hands of Dr. Stebbins of Northampton, and the 
Pease building was torn down. Each year the Doctor leased 
the hut on the mountain top, and placed there for the use of 
visitors a small, old, ship's glass, which, in its day, was con- 
sidered a wonderful instrument. It is still in existence and 
in use at the engine house on the mountain. Inside the shanty 
were bare, unplastered walls, one or two battered benches, 
and a rough bar with wall paper pasted on its top. 
A new path was scratched out in 1845 by a crowd of Am- 



THE STEAMERS. 



i:{ 



I11I-.I >t ii»Ifiit8, south of tlif itlliiT p:itli>. tii:ikiii;: (In- :i>r.iit 
|t>s >tf.|i tlnm^li tin* dislanco was ^n-aft r. :iinl for >oiin- linn- 
this was th«- main thortHi^Oifair. 

Ill th»' Spiiii^ of 1S|I». Mr .1. W . l-'i.inh. who had htim 
!)• (11 :iti ruthusiastic admin'i of Mt I lol vokr, and who f.-ll it 
\\a> sm«' to l>«'roin«', .so<»in*f or hitci , a favoiit*- r«*sort, \ isit<-d 
it with a fiifiid, iiitfiidiiii: to h-as*- the |>rfiijis«'s if his fritml 
auroed. I'Ih' hitt»'r had in-vt-i- l>t<-ii to thf iiioiintaiti. and was 
rat htT iinn-didoiis with if^ard to its wondfiful \ i«*w as (!••• 
stiiht'd hy Mr. Fh-ikIi. I'hat thrif miirht he no mistake 
ahout th«* impn'ssion it woidd niakf, Mr. Fi»Mnh hlindfohh'd 
his companion wht-n lialf way up through lh«' woods, and h'«l 
him th»' rest of th«' distanc**. Once th«*n\ th«' fri«*nd was vu- 
chantt'd with th«' l>»'auty spn-ad hofon- iiim. and th^y S(kui 
liad h*as«'d lh«' phu-f of Dr. St»d)bins and houj^ht out, for the 
sum of $10, thf stock in trad*' of t!ie man th»*n occupying th»* 
premises. Th<*y r»'}»aircd the liousc and improved the niad, 
an<l many m<»re pi-oph- wen- afinicted to the mountain. 

In lS.*»n, ;i sin^h' horse cariird m|i on its hack all the ne<'es 
saries, hy the path, to thesummil. Water was conveyed in 
tive^allon, India luhlii-r sai k-> in c;invas panniers fastened 
acioss the Imrse's hody. 

Mr. Frem-h linisluid a wa^(Ui riKul the following: year and 
built a n»'w house a neat, stjuare, two-story building, just 
north of the old lirsl house, and improve»l the grounds about 
it. To net the tind)ers for this building to the summit was no 
ea.sy matter, and at times two ])air of oxen and a pair of 
lu)rses were used on a single load. What with drivinir. steer- 
ing all this ])rocession safely around the corners, and blocking 
the wheels to rest the animals, it was a great uiub-rlaking. 
In 18.")4, a single track railroad was built up the lai<t st«*ep 
ridge of the mountain. haviiiLr a rise of :{(*..') feet and a length 



14 

of 600 feet. Between tlie lines of rails was a staircase. The 
whole structure was laid very near the ground, and followed 
its irregularities, which made the ascent gentle in some places 
and very steep in others. The car in use was known as the 
"Old Sleigh," fi-om the fact that the bodies of two sleighs 
were fitted together to form its main part. This was propped 
up in a horizontal position, at an angle to the car truck which 
ran parallel with the rails. A single rope was attached to the 
up])er end and a horse beneath the house on top furnished 
the motive ])ower. Probably there was at that time nothing 
of the kind in the world, and people fiom far and near came 
to gaze on the wonderful contrivance. Everybody who rode 
considered it a very serious matter, and the outcome extreme- 
ly doubtful ; but for a person with steady nerves, the expe- 
rience was a delightful one. Slowly trundled along the rails 
the whole valley was spread before the eyes — there was the 
level sweep of meadow land with its scattered foliage, hidden 
towns, cut in twain by the winding river, and melting into the 
hills which roll away to the horizon ; while near by, close to 
the car on either side were the quiet woods. The sensation 
was singularly impressive. The climax came when the car 
rolled up the steep ledge not far from the summit. In a mo- 
ment the height seemed almost dizzy, and the view was im- 
mensely broadened, and if not too much frightened at the 
thought of what would happen if the rope broke, this mo- 
ment was a wonderfully exhilirating one. The car and its 
occupants cauie np through an opening in the base of the 
mouutain house, and sto])p<'d just when the body of the 
" Old Sleigh " was even with the floor. The trips at this time 
were very slow, and to begin with the car was only intended 
for invalids and luggage. In fact, it was constructed in the 
tirst place for the express purpose of bringing up water from 



iIk' s|»iiriL^ at its lowi-r rnd, wliiili liitlnito Ii.mI tn In- lii«>Ui:lit 
li\ liaiid ni (III Imi xltatU. |*.i.|i|.- walkirii; up at tin- smio 
liiiii- tin' car \va> in iii'ition. wcic puividtMl wiili littlf jilat 




IN TIIK l.«»«»KMrT KoiiM 

foiiiis at tin- M(l«- of tlu« tnirk to ri'st on, wliiN- thr rm |.a«-«.i d. 
'I'wn yt'ars affrr, a small strain «'ii;;iii<' took tin- jdacf of flu- 
liorsr on till' summit, and ISHo saw a d<>ul)l<- fiaik laid and 
tin* wholf strurtun* stiaiLrliti-iifd ; and in isr.7 it was <'(ivtr«'d 
as it is now. In ISiil, tin- |»n's«'nf lionsr was ••ii'tti'd, and 
four v«'ars laf«i tin* mad uliirli wimls tlii-nu::li ijn- wnnds 
straight u]) tin* nmunlain from tin* lii;;liwav was laid out .\ 



16 



rival liouse was built in 1869, a short distance below the 
Prospect House, but never was finished. F'or a dozen years 
its railroad track lay rotting in the woods, and the house it- 
self became brown, and weatherwoi-n, and shabby. Light- 



ning struck it, the 
the windows were 
within a few years 
to pieces. 



.7 



Ifr 



plastering fell in great pieces, 
half of them bioken, and 
the building has been juilled 
About 1850, a cuiious in- 
dividual known as "Old 
Herrick," came to the moun- 
tain, and with his wife, who 




ON THK PIAZZA. 

was an even more peculiar character than he, put up a little 
shanty in the woods. They were a strange couple and many 
are the stories told of their doings. Mrs. Ilerrick sold ciys- 
tals, gathered by her husband, to visitois. Mr. Herrick was 
an old man over three score, and for a long time his wife, who 



17 




■'^\r-- 



u:is iiiiirli yoiihi;.'!. irfnsi-d to N't him liv»'\vif|i Ini. arid Umii- 
full' In* Imilf for liimsflf. otT iit tin- woods, a litrli- r«'iil sliaprd 
Init of sjilit l<>;^s, soddrd up oiitsidf, and clo.srd at tin* fnmi 
wiili stoiu' in wliirli was a fin*|)lar«', and Urrr livi'd, doin^' odd 

jobs for tlic fannris of 
(jH ; , ^1 j; 1^ tin* villap'. an<l rli<.|. 

pinj; in flu* woods. 
.Iii>r afhi tin- war. 

Mr. Fn* ii c li li ad a 
sirafn<»r built to ply ha«'k and f<»rtli on tli«> rivt-raml connrri 
with lli«' niilroad at tin- Mount 'INun station. 'I'liis stcaint'i- 
was a sijuan* I'udi'd side-wlinlci- of niodrnit<' si/r, and was 
calU'd tlif " Wawliillowa." a nann- fornirrly Itorrn* by an 
Indian cliiff of rlif vicinity, and till IS7«'>. durinu' llw summer 
season, tlif boat niad«- its si-vcu trips a day. Two yrjirs laler 
till- ** Ml. Ilolyokc," a trim stfin wliiM-ItT with a pointed bow. 
took its placf. but brraiiM' usijfss in iSS'i on arcount of a in-w 
lo^ law tlit'ii pasx'd. wITn-li viilually uavi- iIh- control of tin- 
riv«T into the hands of the hnnber companies. 

As Tresf. Hitchcock says in his "Slate (»eo|(»^'y. " "The 
rrospeci House is undoid)tedly on ihe most ciunmandin^ 
spot of the raiiire. tlnui^h sevend distin<'l sunwnits that have 
as yet rereived no uniform name afford delij^htful jirosjtects." 
Kver siiio' Mr. French has had control of the place, imjuove 
iM<nts hav«' been constant, ;ind uevei- h.ive the accommoda 
lions beoii bett«M". or ways of access easier than now. The 
hous(> is n<>at, comfortable, .and commo<lious. A nund)ei of 
j)owerful leh's«'opt»s aid the ey<' in examinin;; distant objects, 
ami one can set his watch by ihr clock <m the Sprin^rlii'ld 
Arsenal, ami <ui cleai days see the uihb <1 cloine «»f the Capitol 
ai llartfoKl. and e\fn caich a ^.jlimpse of the new monument 
on Ivisi Kock neai New Haven. It may be inlerestin^ to not(> 



18 

tluit the barrel of tlie largest telescope was made from one of 
the maliogany pillars of the old Edwards church pillpit. 
This telescope is mounted on a swinging beam in the centre of 








Oxbow 



%;rfi:!^t 



the outlook 
room, b u t 
can be trans- 
f e r r e d to 
another sup- 
p o r t for 



night use in studying the moon and stars. 
The second in size is mounted on a tiuck 
which can be wheeled to any pait of the wide })iazza, wliicii 
encircles the l)uil(liiig. A snug little cot has bei^n elected at 
eac^h corner of the jtiazza, wlieie three oi' four persons can just 
manage to seat themselves to chat, and enjoy the cool freslmess 
of the air, while watching the cloud shadows and the ever fol- 
lowing sunlight creep over the level below, and seeming to 
weave out of their intangible light and shade that beautiful 
hollowing plain called the Connecticut valley. A dark, heavy, 
(convex glass, known as the "Claude Lorraiuf^," (it being in- 
vented by that painter) set in a solid frame of wood with 
leather liandles at the ends, is much used by visitors to mir- 
]oi' the landscape, and the ii('h cfTects obtnined delight every 



oiH*. Two small ishiiids lufiik tin- nnn-iir of tlif rivt-r to tin* 
iinrt li. ami n-st likt-tUMiaMs in f I m* silver si-ttin^ »»f tin* stifaiii. 
Tlif iii<Mnirai!i lias always licrii a favorite r»-s(»rt of artists, 
aihl (lisiin;4uisln'(l |MTs<»ris in fvi'iy walk of lifr liavf inadr 
|tili;riniai;t's to this spot. Ni-aily all tin* i:o\»'i-noi> of Mass., 
hi'irinniiiL: wiili tin- ^rrat war^<»v«'rnor. .lolin A. .\n(lr<'\\, liav** 
biM-n Inir. ami >urli nirn as E C Sti'flnian. .1. (»'. Holland. 




TMK oXIIitW rN i»<r 

and I»i. Il.)lnii-s. and tin- iiofi-il >inLri'r .li-nny Lind. Iiavr |nit 
I lii'ir nanit's oil tin* niristrr. (ifoiut' W. I'arlftoii. a |»roini- 
n<nl N»'w N'ork ])ul>lishrr, who has n'r«'?»tly ^oin' out of luisi- 
nt'ss. has hff somh- v<My rh'V«'r dniwin^s in tin* Ixioks. and on 
thrin his famous "Hird of I'aiadis**" inaik whirli hr was in 



20 




the habit of putting- in the corner of all his sketches. In Dr. 
Holland's poem '• Kathrina," still a much read 
work, whose heroine lived in the village below, 
and whose hero was a native of Northampton, 
are many lines showing his love for the valley 
BIRDS OF PARADISE, aiid lils dellglit lu Its beauty. Part First 

starts with — 

"Thou lovely vale of sweetest stream that flows, 
Winding and willow fringed Connecticut I " 

Again looking from the mountain top he says : — 

" At my feet, 
The ferry boat, diminished to a toy, 
With automatic diligence conveyed 
Its puppet passengers between the shores 
That hemmed its enterprise; and one low barge 
With white, square sail, bore northward languidly 
The slow and scanty commerce of the stream." 

This was more than half a century ago, before the shrill 
whistle of the steam en- 
gine and the rumble of the 
iron rails, had broken the 
cpuet of the valley, when , 
still the clumsy Hat bot- '^ " 
tomed barges brought all 
outside supplies up the 
river, and when the stream ^^ 
still flowed around the { 
great curve known as the {, 
"Ox-Bow/' going three i'.y/' 
and one-half miles to gain '"'"'■ 
thirty rods. In the Fall 




^'V/;/y^i4*^'.V^vN^ 



V\\\\ N^^^"~ 



AN INTEUKSTING TREE. 



of 1839, one of the village farmers ploughed a strip of land 
which ran "across the neck, and on the 24th of the following 
February a jam of ice in the bow set'the^water back so that it 



•Jl 



rail across iIh* |i|tiiiu;liitl lidd. In a fi-\v Imnis it lia*l rut a 
iM'vv rliaiiiK'l. This raiistMl ^n-nl rrjoiriii^ in tin- towns alKivr, 
and in N<>rtlia!n)tt(>n the bi-lls wm- nin^, fni th<*y wi-n* thn-** 
inih's n«'aifr lidt- wati-r. Sln»rtly aftfi, thf railroad was put 



'^f^'^^m^' 




TIIK PATH THKortill THK WOODS. 

thn>iii:h, and thf oM "fall hoafs" disa|)|»«'an'd. Nowalai^jr 
sawmill has Immmi l)iiilt on tin* island, and thcold IhmI is iitili/cd 
for stowing many million fn-t of sprncr lo^s, tloatfd down 
during the Sprin^j and Summer m«»nliis from Jh** h»*ad walern 
of th«' rivt'r. A sliort walk to th»' north of tin- I*ros|M-<-i 



22 

House is the "grove," a broad shelf of rock, scattered with 
trees, breaking off into a steep precipice, and affording a 
cliarming picnic place. An interesting tree stands near by. 
It is a good sized hemlock growing on a bare rock, which, to 
obtain nourishment has to send out its roots ten or fifteen feet 
over the unyielding surface before it reaches earth. Here on 
the mountain toj), few sounds reach the ears save the occa- 
sional hoarse caw of a crow or the bright clutter of a sc[uirrel. 
Sometimes we catch a glimpse of the chickadee's brown coat 
and hear its cheerful chirp, but few birds show themselves 




during the day. However wlien the tii'st faint streaks of 
dawn paint the east, the woods seem full of them, and the 
whole air vibrates with their songs. It is a mystery where 



n 



they iriana<i;e to liide themselves later. As the year progresses 
the crickets and grasshoppers are more oi- less iininerous and 
in the Fall the evening air is tilled witli the dis])ntii)g voices 




HALF-WAY STATION, RAILWAY, AND MOUNTAIN HOUSE. 

of the katydids. At times a hawk is seen wheeling through 
the air on outspread pinions, and not infrequently an eagle 
goes sailing past high above the valley, wliile near at liand 



24 



perchance a buttertly is wandering on careless wings of gay 
or dusky hue. 

A narrow path leads down 
the mountain at a model ate 
incline through the twilight of 
the woods, or one may make 
a straight descent by the stair- 
way, or easier still, we can tiy ^^ 



^^fe. 



'fV 



'"'^'C^ 

->^\ 




-5=?^^ 



'V^ 



fe 



|T J" 



f£ff' 





i\'^ 






ly^ 



I.— VIEW FROM THE ROAD. 

oneof those curious, little, i-ed, two seated cars on theiailway. 
When seated in the car, signals are exchanged between the 
mountain house and the engineer below ; th^ bell above our 
heads rings sharply twice, and slowly at first, then faster and 



25 



faster we slip down the- incline. Half way down, the mate to 
our car glides past going up. In two minutes we have made 
the ])assage through the long wooden tunnel, and are at the 
station below. Here is a powerful looking engine, and out- 
side clustered about the station 
are several buildings and sheds, 
tlie feeding stable, and the cottage ^ 



"fi^r^^P^-^" 




II.— VIKW FKOM THE llOAD. 

where Mr. French spends his winters, and about them quite a 
l)lot of grass land enclosed on every side by the forest. At 



26 

this point some people make a detour into the woods to the 
south to see an enormous, isolated boulder, which must have 
rolled down from above long ago, and is now known as the 




A GLIMPSE OF THE VILLAGE. 



"Devil's Football." Several fine glimpses of river and valley 
are obtained on the road down, though for the most part the 
view is narrow, hidden by a thick growth of chestnuts. 

"At Holyoke's verdant base 



Like a slim hound stretched at his master's feet, 
Lay the long, lazy hamlet Hockanum." 

So spoke Dr. Holland, looking from the opposite side of 
the river, in " Kathrina," and the village is the same now. 
Here are half a score of farm houses behind their great maple 
trees, surrounded by orchards, and sunny fields of corn, and 
grass, and waving grain. The hotel has a look of old fashioned 
roominess which is very attractive. Half a mile below the 
feriy, by passing up through the pastures and climbing an 



obscure path — if one is lucky cnougli to find it — over a mul- 
titude of splintered stones, Titan's Piazza is reached. Just 
above our heads is a great oveihanging precipice, with numer- 
ous cone shaped projections from its lower surface, and we 
li^an against the solid wall of the mountain made of massive, 




TITAN'S PIER. 



many sided rock pillars. This formation— both the pillars 
and the cones — is found all along tlie ridge here. Below^ is 
the steep ascent, a mass of loose stones, with quite a growth 
of trees among them, birch and butternut, and at the foot 
of tlie slope, chestnut, pine and hemlock. 

Another noted place is Titan's pier, at the extreme end of 



28 

the mountain, where the river ripples and eddies at the foot 
of high perpendicular cliils, and sets back in a beautiful lound- 
ing little cove, forming as picturesque a spot a-s there is in all 




- y 




ROCKS AT TITAN'S PIER. 



New England. The village burying ground is close by on 
a steep hillside, overlooking the river and all the gentle 
sweep of valley to the north and west, while nearer are the 
strong mountain masses of Tom and Holyoke. Here among 



29 



this little cluster of gray, old stones, and newer marble slabs, 
is as peaceful a ])lace for the long, last rest as is to be found 
the world over. Where the road passes over the ridge to the 
east, a narrow passage has been blasted through the mountain 
wall, leaving a high ro(;k ledge on one side, and a good sized 
cliff on the other. This has 
now been named "Tlie Pass '-^'^Ov '^ IS^^ 







IN THE VILLAGE BURYING GROUND. 

The shortest way out of the village is by the ferry, a long 
flat bottomed craft, with wheels attached to posts on the up- 
stream side, over which runs the wire strung across the river 



30 



>.t^ 




31 

the famous old elm which fell a. few years ago, thirty-one feet 
in circumference, of which Dr. Holmes spenks in his " Auto- 
crat of the Breakfast Table ;" or. the still stnnding " PMwnids 




THE PASS OF THERMOPYLAE. 

Elm " on King street, which, though scarred and aged, is still a 
magnificent tree. Round Plill, the most elevated ]iart of the 
town, has long been famous for its view and it is from here 
that Stedman, in his fine poem, "Holyoke Valley," desciibes 



Again he says 



"Those i)urple heights. 

That guard the pathway to the sea." 



'"I see for miles bej'ond the town 
That sunlit stream divide the plain. 

There still the giant warders stand 

And watch the current's downward flow. 

And northward still, with threatening hand, 
The river bends his ancient bow. 

I see the hazy lowlands meet 

The sky, and count each shining spire." 



32 

All about him is unaltering peace and beauty ; he feels 
change in himself alone — on body and spirit the hand of time 
had rested heavily : life in the venerable town seems flowing 
on just as he had known it when a j^oiith years before ; and 
nature smiles with the same old sweetness. 

One after another the years slip silently away into the 
dimness of the past, each leaving its impress on the earth and 
its inhabitants. Amid the turmoil of life men come and men 
go; for a moment they stir the little world about them and 
then are lost from sight. The resistless current sweeps all on 
alike, and all disappear. They are soon forgotten ; the stones 
in the graveyard become moss grown and the graven names 
wear away. The world's face is turned ever forward. Still 
the flinty rocks of Holyoke seem to withstand the assaults of 
Summer's rain and Winter's frost, and seem ever destined to 
look down with unchanging face on our valley with its purple 
encirclino- hills. 




' USTRATED BY C. 



SEND TO 

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-^tcBOOK-SELLERS,^^ 

NORTHAMPTON, . . , . MASS., 

FOR COPIES OF 

HOLLAND'S •' KATHRINA," 

HOLMES' "AUTOCRAT OF THE BREAKFAST TABLE," 

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ment of New and Standard Works, — History, Biography, Travel, Fiction and Poetry. 
Send for Circulars, or call at 

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N. B. —Special attention given to Choice Stationery for ladies. 



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ALSO, CONNECTED WITH IT ONE WILL FIND A FIRST-CLASS 

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E. C. BARR & CO., BARR & BARRY, 

Northampton, Mass. Springfield, Mass. 

HOCKANUM HOTEL! 

HEIVRr 0. EDWARDS, Manager. 



Fish and Game, in all their varieties, in their season. 

Ample accommodations for Parties, to which 

special attention -will be given. 

Tills ancient hostelry, modest and unpretending in its exterior, is one of the oldest 
landmarks in the Connecticut river valley. More than sixty years ago it was man- 
aged by the well-known Zadoc Lyman, familiarly called "Uncle Zadoc." He was 
both landlord and ferryman, and his fame as a genial and courteous entertainer was 
wide spread. The house is located near the base of famed Mount Holyoke, and is visi- 
ted by nearly all who ascend this noted elevation. 

The present manager has been a caterer for the public for more than thirty years, 
and needs no recommendation among the thousands who have tested his superioi ity in 
this line of public providers. 



WEBSTER'S UNABRIDGED 

lu various Styles of Itiixliii^. 



THE 



JW£B5r£»^^ 

yDICTIONAPy^ 



AND 
THEBESTk 



Besides many other valuable tables, the latost 
issue of this work contaius 

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118,000 Words, 3000 Engravings, 

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of 25,000 Titles, (recently aildccl) and 

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All in One Book. 



A Library in 

ITSELF. 

The Latest £dition has 

3000 more Words, 

in its v<ieal)ulary, than are 
found in any other Ameri- 
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three times the number of 
£ngraving8. 



In quantity of matter, it 
would make 75 12mo vol- 
umes usually sold for S1.25 
each. 

It is an ever-preaent and 
reliable school-master to the 
whole family.— <S. S. HcraM. 



Webster is Standard Authority in theGov't Printing Office, and with the U. S. Su- 
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Published by G. & C. MKRBIAIVI & CO., Springfield, Mass. 



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Magazines or Old Books Bound in Plain or Elegant Style. 

74 Main Street, _ _ _ _ NORTHAMPTON, MASS. 

OVER 6. E. BRIDGMAN & CO.'S. 



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Book, Cut and Job Work executed in the best manner. Particular attention paid 
to Fine Book Illustrations, etc. Wood Engravings and Type Composition. Esti- 
mates given on application. 



Ji. Ftixe 'Wood. JSJngrcLvirzg , 

"VIEW ON MOUNT HOLYOKE," 

Showing the Northern Valley and the Great Bend in 

the River as seen fronn the summit. Size about 

S X 7, suitable for framing. 

ARTIST PROOFS, $i.oo. JAPAN PROOFS, $2.00. 

Sent by niail on receipt of pi'ioe, post-paid, by 

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For ILLUSTRATIONS or DESIGNS OF ANY KIND, 

Address 

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Engraving of all classes done promptly, 
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H 99 78 






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